The Bottom Line: Heavy bags can carry big extra charges. Here's how to avoid them

Tuesday

Apr 18, 2017 at 11:58 AMApr 18, 2017 at 12:09 PM

Marla Matzer Rose The Columbus Dispatch @MarlaMRose

Some flyers howled when short-lived Skybus Airlines announced a $10 checked bag fee when the Columbus-based carrier launched a decade ago. Today, bag fees of up to $30 per are levied by virtually every airline other than Southwest, which has maintained its "bags fly free" policy for up to two checked bags per traveler.

When it can get really expensive is you overstuff a piece of luggage. Bags of more than 50 pounds typically carry an extra fee of $50 and up, depending on the weight and the airline. Website AirfareWatchdog.com has a helpful chart tracking such fees and others by airline.

The best way to avoid an overweight fee, of course, is to not overstuff your bags. But frequent travelers with a propensity for doing so would be wise to invest a small amount in a luggage scale; prices start at about $9 on Amazon.com.

The moment of truth comes when the bag is placed on the scale at the airport ticket counter. That is, if the airport scale is correct.

Occasionally, scales can be off, slightly overweighing bags and tipping the scales in the airlines' favor, so to speak. If you're convinced that your bag was inaccurately weighed by a scale at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, you can file a complaint with the city of Columbus' Weights & Measures Section. Their webpage includes links to contact information and a consumer complaint form.

Weights & Measures chief Thomas B. Maynard says scales are checked annually, whenever a scale is moved and any time a report or complaint of a possible inaccuracy is registered. It's rare, but not unheard of, for scales to be off.